Black lives matter. All lives matter. Both statements are true, but it is astounding that we are still debating the meaning of those words. We accept equal rights in theory, but things don’t always play out that way on the streets.
“TEN YEARS GONE,” was curated by NOMA’s Russell Lord and slated to signal the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It takes on a capacious, four-part theme: “time, memory, loss and transformation.” And the exhibition, as Lord puts it, sought “to situate the significance of the past decade within a larger context of human endeavor and life experience.”
Simon Gunning, and his new studio on Port Street in New Orleans, photographed on Thursday August 20, 2015.
In September 1966, LIFE magazine published, “The Redemption of a Champion,” by Gordon Parks, a profile of Muhammad Ali, who had recently changed his name to embody his newly adopted Islamic faith. An exhibition of photographs from the LIFE essay are currently on view in “Gordon Parks: Ali” at Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans, through September 9, 2015.
How well do you remember the last days of August 10 years ago? …The three major visual arts venues in the city — the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Contemporary Arts Center — have all timed exhibitions of living artists to coincide with the anniversary. Each show is distinct in its approach, its tone, and its way of visualizing the role of art and the idea of memorialization itself.
For the new “art year” in New Orleans kicked off during White Linen Night, Arthur Roger Gallery presents an exhibition featuring three generations of African American artists, including the famous Life magazine photographer Gordon Parks born in 1912 and the native artist Bruce Davenport in 1972. The show gathers a large collection of works from Willie Birch and introduces new pieces from Whitfield Lovell.
How well do you remember the last days of August 10 years ago? …The three major visual arts venues in the city — the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Contemporary Arts Center — have all timed exhibitions of living artists to coincide with the anniversary. Each show is distinct in its approach, its tone, and its way of visualizing the role of art and the idea of memorialization itself.
How do surroundings influence and contribute to the creative process? With that question in mind, ponder the powerful effect of environment on artistry shown in the current exhibition, Artist Spaces, on view at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, through Sunday, Sept. 6.
Medical centers aren’t usually the kind of places you go unless you have to. But if the new University Medical Center on Tulane Avenue between South Galvez Street and South Claiborne Avenue wasn’t on your list of places to visit this month, you may want to reconsider: Two world-class art installations in the new building are well worth seeking out.
Artists and poets often look to each other for inspiration; there is an energy to the abstract concepts found in each discipline that allows creativity to flourish. In the case of Joseph Havel, it was a chance encounter with Dean Young, 2014 Poet Laureate of Texas, that led to the current exhibit “How to Draw a Circle,” on display now at Hiram Butler Gallery.